Upgrading Processor and m/board with Win XP Pro

[Brian Wescombe]

I have a retail version of Win XP Pro. Next week I'm getting a new processor
and changing the motherboard. Will Windows carry on working as before or
will I need to re-install?

It's been more than 120 days since last activation so that won't be an
issue.

 

[Tom]

I have a retail version of Win XP Pro. Next week I'm getting a new
processor and changing the motherboard. Will Windows carry on working as
before or will I need to re-install?

It's been more than 120 days since last activation so that won't be an
issue.

Since it is retail, you *should* not have any problem. You can change as
many, and any parts you want. there still may be a chance that you'll have
to phone MS.

 

[Rattleon]

If the motherboard is not exactly like the old one (same brand, same
chipset) you will have to do a repair install of windows or you will get
nothing but a "Blue Screen STOP Errot on boot-up.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I have a retail version of Win XP Pro. Next week I'm getting a new processor
and changing the motherboard. Will Windows carry on working as before or
will I need to re-install?

It's been more than 120 days since last activation so that won't be an
issue.

Normally, and assuming a retail license (many OEM installations
and licenses are not transferable to a new motherboard - check yours
before starting), unless the new motherboard is virtually identical
(same chipset, same IDE controllers, same BIOS version, etc.) to the
one on which the WinXP installation was originally performed, you'll
need to perform a repair (a.k.a. in-place upgrade) installation, at
the very least:

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade of Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=KB;EN-US;Q315341

The "why" is quite simple, really, and has nothing to do with
licensing issues, per se; it's a purely technical matter, at this
point. You've pulled the proverbial hardware rug out from under the
OS. (If you don't like -- or get -- the rug analogy, think of it as
picking up a Cape Cod style home and then setting it down onto a Ranch
style foundation. It just isn't going to fit.) WinXP, like Win2K
before it, is not nearly as "promiscuous" as Win9x when it comes to
accepting any old hardware configuration you throw at it. On
installation it "tailors" itself to the specific hardware found. This
is one of the reasons that the entire WinNT/2K/XP OS family is so much
more stable than the Win9x group.

As always when undertaking such a significant change, back up any
important data before starting.

This will also probably require re-activation, unless you have a
Volume Licensed version of WinXP Pro installed. If it's been more
than 120 days since you last activated that specific Product Key,
you'll most likely be able to activate via the Internet without
problem. If it's been less, you might have to make a 5 minute phone
call.


--

Bruce Chambers

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[Brian Wescombe]

ok ,thanks. I definitely have a Retail upgrade version of XP Pro, and it was
last activated in September, well over 120 days ago.
I have an image of the CD on my hard drive so I can do an Upgrade re-install
from there.

Thanks again